Chapter IV: Jessie Collins

MRS. BROWN watched rather anxiously for her husband's return, hoping that Fanny would tell him all about the foolish purchase she had made, and show her father the watch, if she had it with her. "Ten shillings is a lot of money for a girl to waste," she said, half aloud, as she went to the door to look down the street, for the house seemed very lonely without Eliza. She had not missed Fanny so much, but a dreary emptiness seemed to pervade the whole house because Eliza was not there, and she was glad to stand at the door and say "Good night" to the few neighbours who passed.

At length one of them stopped at the gate and said—

"Isn't it a shocking thing about Mrs. Collins?"

"Why, what has happened?" asked Mrs. Brown.

"Haven't you heard? She was taken ill this evening, and the doctor says she won't live long." At this moment a girl was seen running towards them, and when she reached the gate she suddenly stopped. She was out of breath with her run, but she did not wait to recover it.

"Can you lend us a sheet?" she panted.

"Why, it's Jessie Collins!" said Mrs. Brown. "How is your mother now?"

"Doctor says she is a mite better, but I must get clean sheets for her."

She did not look at Mrs. Brown as she said this, for she knew she was no favourite of hers; and besides, the Browns had always been people who kept themselves to themselves, making few friends among the neighbours. But Mrs. Satchell, who stood near the gate, was an old friend of her mother's, and might be expected to help them.

But Mrs. Satchell made no reply to the appeal for sheets; and Mrs. Brown, after waiting for her to answer, said—

"I think I can lend you the sheets, Jessie. But they are old ones that I have patched."

"Oh, thank you! They will do, if they are clean; and I know they will be if they are yours, Mrs. Brown," added the girl, gratefully.

Mrs. Brown went upstairs for the sheets, and when she brought them down she said—

"Now, can I help you put them on the bed, or have you got anybody else to help you?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Brown. If you could spare a little time I should be glad, for you know how to do everything, mother says."

"Very well. You run back to your mother, and I will soon follow." And Mrs. Brown said "Good night" to her other neighbour, and was turning indoors when Mrs. Satchell stopped her.

"Look here, Mrs. Brown," she said, "you don't know what you're doing, lending sheets and helping them. I know Jessie and her mother too. And—"

"Yes; they are your friends," said Mrs. Brown, rather shortly; and once more saying "Good night," she went and told Minnie, who had just gone to bed, that she must lie awake until her father came home, and then tell him that she had gone to help Jessie Collins make her mother comfortable. "Father has got the key, and can let himself in, and so you need not get up," added her mother, as she took a clean apron out of the drawer, and also a clean pillow-case, which she thought Jessie might have forgotten to ask for.

She had never been inside Jessie's home before, and the sight of the dirty, close-smelling room she passed through on her way upstairs made her feel sick.

"It isn't cold to-night," she said, as she went up the stairs; "and if you were to set this downstairs window open it would make the bedroom fresher."

"All right," answered Jessie; and she dashed down again and sent the window up with a bang.

The bedroom was worse than Mrs. Brown had imagined. The sick woman had lain down in her clothes on the unmade bed, and now lay moaning, half unconscious of her surroundings.

"Doctor said she was to be quiet, so I wouldn't let any of 'em come up to her," said Jessie, by way of explaining matters.

Mrs. Brown scarcely knew where to begin the task of making things comfortable, but at last, with Jessie's help, she began to arrange the unoccupied side of the bed, rolling up the sheets, ready to pass under the invalid when they had made her ready to move.

To get her day-clothes off and a clean nightdress put on took nearly an hour, and they had just completed this task when the doctor came in again. He looked at his patient first, and then glanced at Mrs. Brown, whom he recognized at once.

"You have been at work, I can see," he remarked. "You must not disturb her further to-night, but if the room could be cleaned to-morrow it would give her a better chance of pulling through this illness."

"You think mother will get better, sir," said Jessie, eagerly.

"She is certainly better now; but you must still be very careful, my girl, and do exactly as I tell you. You could not have a better friend than Mrs. Brown," he added.

"I wouldn't let none of the others come in, as you said they were making mother worse."

Jessie said this in a tone of triumph, as the doctor went downstairs, closely followed by Mrs. Brown, who wanted to know what was the matter with Mrs. Collins.

"Nothing to be afraid of, Mrs. Brown. Various causes have been at work to bring about this attack. She is not a very strong woman, and close air, dirt, and a little intemperance together have done the mischief. Now, her daughter seems a well-meaning girl, but she wants the help and guidance of a friend, and so, if you could give her a few hints, as you would to your own girls, it would probably be of great service to her and her mother."

"I will do what I can, sir," said Mrs. Brown.

"We can none of us do more," said the doctor; and then he paused a moment to say, "I am very glad to hear that my little patient Eliza is going to the seaside with the Vicar's children. I don't think the work of looking after them will be too much for her now." And then, with a hasty "Good night," the doctor hurried away.

Jessie was coming down the stairs when Mrs. Brown went back.

"Mother wants something to drink," she said. "What shall I give her?"

"What did the doctor say she might have when he was here before?"

"Hot milk with a little water in it, or barley-water. She don't care about the milk; where can I get the other? Is it some kind of ale?"

"Oh no; you make it yourself, by boiling some barley and—"

But there Mrs. Brown stopped, for she could see by the expression of Jessie's face that she had never heard of barley-water before, and so she said—

"You must give your mother the milk to-night, and I will make some barley-water at home, and bring round in the morning. What time will your father be home?" she asked; for she did not think the girl ought to be left alone with the invalid all night.

But Jessie declared she was not at all afraid, and her sister and brother would be with her.

"Father don't come home till Saturday, and goes back Sunday night," added Jessie.

"Then you lie down on the bed beside your mother, so as to get a little rest," said Mrs. Brown, "and to-morrow I will come and help you clean mother's room, for the doctor says it must be done, and everything made fresh and nice, or she cannot get better."

"I know he said before that the house wasn't as clean as it might be, and I asked him if I should clean mother's bedroom, and he said I might take the carpets up and leave them downstairs if I didn't make a noise, and perhaps I might clean it another day. If you come in the morning you'll tell me what to do," said Jessie.

The girl's willingness to do as she was told quite astonished Mrs. Brown, and made her all the more willing to teach her and help her out of her various difficulties. Her mind was so full of these that when she got home, and found her husband waiting for her, she could only tell him of the state of affairs she had found in their neighbour's home, and forgot to ask whether Fanny had confided to him the story of the watch she had bought.

As soon as she had put the supper on the table for her husband she washed some barley and put it on to boil, in preparation for the morning, talking all the time about Eliza and what the doctor had said about her visit to the seaside, and how surprised she was to find Jessie Collins willing and anxious to do everything possible for her mother's comfort, now she was ill.

"I always thought she was such a naughty wilful girl, that I forbade our girls playing with her," added Mrs. Brown.

"Quite right, mother, quite right," said her husband. "For, of course, if our Fan had been allowed to run the street as this Jessie has, she would not be the lass she now is."

Mrs. Brown did not reply, but did not feel sure that Fanny was so much better than Jessie, as she had hitherto supposed; but she would not say a word of this to her husband, for he was so fond and proud of his elder daughter, and why should she try to make him uncomfortable over what might be a very trivial thing after all. The thought of the watch had occurred to her; but her husband had not mentioned it, and so she concluded that Fanny had not told him anything about it. She wished she had, but in the graver matters of the Collins' household this seemed of little or no importance, and she decided not to say anything about it just now, but to try again to persuade Fanny to tell her father all about it.

The next morning, as soon as the breakfast was cleared away and the necessary preparations made for dinner, Mrs. Brown took the jug of barley-water she had made, and went to see the sick woman again.

"She was awful bad in the night!" said Jessie, who had apparently waited the arrival of Mrs. Brown before doing anything but getting breakfast ready. She and Polly had just finished their meal and were waiting gloomily over the fire.

"Shall I go up and see your mother?" asked Mrs. Brown. "I have brought her the barley-water, Has she had anything this morning?"

"No; she wouldn't have a cup of tea, because I wouldn't give her a drop of ale last night."

"You must not give her ale until the doctor says you may. Perhaps she will like a little of the barley-water for a change. Give me a clean glass, that will be a change from the cup she has been having the milk in."

Jessie knew very little of illness, and she thought at first that these small details were mere whims of Mrs. Brown's, until she went upstairs and saw how eagerly her mother took the barley-water when Mrs. Brown raised her head and put the glass to her lips.

"Now we will make the bed comfortable before the doctor comes. Fetch me some warm water, and I will wash mother's face and hands," said Mrs. Brown; and Jessie went to do her bidding, while she shook up the pillows and arranged the bedclothes.

When the patient was washed, Jessie asked if she could clean the room. Mrs. Brown could see that it was very dirty, but, until the doctor came, she did not like to have it disturbed, and so she told Jessie it would be better to begin on the room downstairs. As Polly had not gone to school, she might also wash up the piles of dirty crockery that stood about wherever there was room to put them.

It was little wonder that Jessie and her sister looked dismayed, for Mrs. Brown, with all her experience, had to look round the dreary, dirty kitchen and consider where a beginning should be made.

At last she said, "Put a large saucepan of water on the fire at once, with a lump of soda in it, and, while it is getting hot, sort over the dirty things. Put the cups and saucers together to be washed first, and greasy plates and dishes wash afterwards."

But it was soon found that there was not a saucepan clean enough to heat the water until one was washed; and Mrs. Brown did this herself, by way of example, for both girls refused to do this unpleasant work.

Just as the saucepan was filled and put on the fire, the doctor came.

He said the patient was no worse, and then gave directions for the bedroom to be thoroughly cleaned, but urged that it should be done as quietly and quickly as possible, and no other visitors than Mrs. Brown admitted to the sick-room. Then he left directions for the patient's food and medicine, and went away.

"Now I shall have to go and look for a pail," said Jessie.

"We shall want a broom first," said Mrs. Brown. "I will sweep the walls and ceiling for you, for I can see there are several cobwebs hanging about."

Jessie looked dismayed. "I don't believe we've got a broom," she said, scratching her head. "Father broke the last, hitting mother with it. He said if she wouldn't use it he would; and then the handle broke, and mother put it all on the fire."

"Have you found a pail?" asked Mrs. Brown; "because I must go home for a few minutes to see about the dinner, and I will bring some things back with me."

A look round the yard and scullery followed, but very little was found, and at length Mrs. Brown said—

"You had better come with me, Jessie, and I will lend you what you want for to-day; and then if you cannot find your own things, you must ask your father to buy some when he comes home on Saturday."

It was Jessie's first visit to Fanny's home, and she looked round the neat, tidy kitchen in amazement.

"Oh, I say, I know how it is Fanny likes going to service! She knew how to keep a place nice, and to tidy before she went. But the missis was always scolding me for the things getting dirty."

"Well, you know, it is never too late to mend, Jessie," said her new friend. "And now you have a good opportunity of doing many useful things, for your mother requires a great deal of care, the doctor says."

"Will you show me how to make our kitchen like this?" asked the girl. "Why, if father could only have a place like this to sit in when he comes home from work, I don't believe he would want to go to the public of an evening; and he'll soon come back here to work, I expect."

"Well, my girl, you ought to be able to make things comfortable for your father and mother too. I will certainly do what I can to help you get things straight for him before Saturday."

"I shall have to send Polly for some soap and soda and things to clean with;" which reminded Mrs. Brown that the clean rags that had been thrown aside lately would be handy for cleaning windows and dusting furniture, for it would be too much to expect that dusters would be found in the Collins's household.

So the empty pail was filled with various articles that would be needed for the house-cleaning, and Jessie was directed to send for blacklead to clean the grate, as well as soap and soda.

"And what about your dinner? You and Polly will want some dinner."

"Oh, mother sends to the cookshop, or else we have steak."

"Well, when she goes out to one shop, she might go to the other and bring what you want. Another day I will show you how to make a nice stew; but we must get the saucepans cleaned first," added Mrs. Brown.

While she had been talking she had been cutting up vegetables and adding them to the contents of a saucepan on the hob.

"Is that stew?" asked Jessie, sniffing the savoury odour when Mrs. Brown stirred the contents.

"Yes, that is stew; it will cook itself if I make up the fire, so that I can come back with you for another hour and show you how to set about your work."

They went back, and Mrs. Brown swept walls and ceilings of both kitchen and bedroom, for both were festooned with dirt and cobwebs. Jessie was eager to set about scrubbing the floor, but Mrs. Brown insisted that the grate must be cleaned and the floor swept first. At last Jessie brought her pail, but her mother could not hear the sound of the scrubbing-brush, as it made her head so much worse. A good deal of dirt, however, could be removed by careful washing, and the windows cleaned; a clean curtain put up made it look quite a different place, and for once it smelled fresh and clean.

Then Mrs. Brown showed the girls how to make barley-water, after scouring out the cleanest of the saucepans for the purpose. Polly was busy the whole morning washing up the dirty crockery, and Mrs. Brown returned in the afternoon to direct the cleaning of cupboards and dresser, that these might all be put away before the scrubbing of the floor began.

They could not tell whether the patient upstairs approved of all this turning out. Sometimes Jessie and sometimes Mrs. Brown went up with milk or barley-water, but she made no comment on what was going on after the scrubbing in her own bedroom was given up.